Director, Business Development, Custom Learning Solutions

About the Opportunity

Summary

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.

Our locations—in Boston; Charlotte, North Carolina; London; Portland, Maine; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Toronto; Vancouver; and the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant—are nodes in our growing global university system. Through this network, we expand opportunities for flexible, student-centered learning and collaborative, solutions-focused research.

Northeastern’s comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs— in a variety of on-campus and online formats—lead to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. Among these, we offer more than 195 multi-discipline majors and degrees designed to prepare students for purposeful lives and careers.

Northeastern University’s Roux Institute is designed as an engine of innovation, talent-building, and economic growth for Portland, Maine, and northern New England. Partnerships set our model of graduate education and research apart. With leading companies and nonprofit organizations at the table from day one, we are creating programs that are preparing the workforce to stay agile and thrive in a competitive landscape powered by artificial intelligence. We are nurturing an environment for high-impact research and innovation in computer and data science, digital engineering, the advanced life sciences and medicine, and other tech fields. And we are helping entrepreneurs launch businesses focused on and powered by technology. Together, we envision an “innovation corridor” that in the coming years will stretch from Boston to Portland and beyond.
 

The Director of Business Development, Custom Learning Solutions will collaboratively design, build, and execute the Roux Institute’s new partner development strategy and ambitious growth goals for custom learning.

The Director of Business Development can operate simultaneously at a tactical and at a strategic level. You are both a leader and a connection-builder and possess a deep understanding of the impact of data and AI in a wide variety of business contexts. The Director of Business Development will demonstrate executive presence and speak the language of data, AI, and business leaders alike.  

You will be responsible for your own portfolio and have the skill and desire to grow a team. You are enthusiastic about developing new partnerships to achieve the mission of the Roux Institute.

This is a strategic business development role where you will hunt for and build relationships with strategic partners from New England, Maine, national and international companies to bridge the gap between higher education and the corporate world. You will also build relationships with regional campuses to grow the customized learning enterprise across the Northeastern global network. Your role is to uncover business problems associated with strategic plans of partners and design and co-create learning solutions with faculty and staff at Northeastern University.

This role combines the dynamic “we will learn as we go” nature of a start-up – our custom learning enterprise is its third year – with the institutional power and backing of Northeastern University. You will constantly be able to learn and grow your own knowledge and expertise, while delivering results that increase revenue and contribute to the innovation and long-term economic development of Maine and the region.

The overarching responsibilities of this position include:

• Setting and executing a strategy for new business development
• Driving new revenue and learners for the learning enterprise
• Identifying new product opportunities and working with the product team to bring offerings to market
• Contributing to the planning for scale and growth of the custom learning enterprise
• Personnel management

Success in this role will be measured by revenue impact to the Roux Institute, growth in the learning portfolio, and the quality and longevity of the learning partnerships.

2.Qualifications     

The successful candidate will possess the following skills, dispositions, experience, and qualifications. 

• Knowledge and skills required for this role are normally acquired through a bachelor’s degree or greater, advanced degree preferred, 7-10 years of management consulting, B2B solution selling experience, or related consultative sales experience.
• Preferred experience includes originating and scaling high-performing sales/success teams
• A knack for building partnerships internally at large organizations.
• The agility, creativity, and flexibility to accomplish goals within a startup-like environment.
• Strong understanding of how to navigate large organizations.
• Effective communication skills, powered by data driven decision-making, dashboards, and forecasts.
• Proficient in modern sales tools (e.g,, OutReach, HubSpot, SalesForce, Quickbase)
• Demonstrated ability to achieve revenue targets in a B2B sales environment.
• Ability to build long-term value-driven relationships with stakeholders at partner organizations;
• Acute attention to detail and a focus on efficiency 
• The ability to develop a vision and execute against that vision with minimal supervision
• Risk-taking and entrepreneurial
• Self motivated
• The ability to serve as an ambassador for the University
• A culturally responsive mindset 
• The ability to cultivate positive relationships across lines of difference 
• A commitment to Maine and its people 
• A sense of humor and enthusiasm  

Preferred Skills, Experience 

• Salesforce 
• Project management 
• People management experience

Travel Requirement 

• You will be required to travel, mostly regionally and to global Northeastern University campuses, to meet strategically important partners 
• There is limited travel further afield to meet companies who wish to move offices to Maine or to visit Northeastern regional campuses to develop partner relationships in those regions.

3.Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Develop new learning partnerships: 50%

• Create the partnership development plan from value proposition to target development to funnel management
• Identify, approach, and develop partnerships that will support the strategic vision and growth of The Roux Institute YOY
• Use consultative selling skills, to discover the specific value proposition and use case for partners and faculty and ensure alignment with the Roux Institute strategic plans
• Negotiate agreements as needed and move those to formal partnership agreements
• Steward all partnerships through agreement phase; ensure partner retention and high satisfaction through relationship development
• Work with partners to establish critical programmatic goals utilizing key performance indicators
• Provide benchmarking data and reports to aid partners in achieving their goals in line with The Roux Institute strategies
• Draft and execute contracts and statements of work
• Ensure partner needs are being met.  
• Ensure partner retention and satisfaction.

Grow the custom learning enterprise in new markets: 20%

• Work across the University and with colleagues in regional campuses to establish customized learning in select regional campuses
• Develop new relationships outside of Maine for customized learning

Develop & optimize a portfolio of offerings: 10%

• Work closely with colleagues across the University to develop new learning offerings
• Be an expert in our current offerings and consistently seek to learn about new opportunities that can be offered to partners.
• Provide essential insight into what partners want and need to the Institute which will drive the development of new offerings. 

Operations & personnel management: 10%

• Work with colleagues across the University to deliver excellent customer service to our employer partners and their learners.
• Support internal operational teams in ensuring the smooth delivery of services to partners. 
• Implement best practices in Salesforce.
• Develop sales playbooks

• Hire and develop team members as the enterprise grows
• Implement best practices in Salesforce.
• Diligently record, analyze, and report to leadership on the status of partnerships, related initiatives, and what you are learning about your partners and their needs.
• Provide benchmarking data and reports to aid partners in achieving their goals.  

• Tell the story of the partnerships you manage through data and narratives.

Emergent work: 10%

• Pursue new opportunities with partners as they arise.
• Pivot to meet changing partner needs and interests.
• Respond to new priorities and initiatives with energy and enthusiasm.

Position Type

General Administration

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.  

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff.  Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion. 

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other  characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity .